Fritz and Gauff reveal what they can improve for the Australian Open

The United States secured the United Cup title for the second time after the 2023 edition. In a 2024 dominated by Germany, Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff were instrumental in bringing their country to a new glory. A team that had previously won the old, now-defunct Hopman Cup six times, now aims to establish this tournament as a significant event in the tennis calendar by sending their best players to compete for the ultimate prize.

The journey of the United States in the United Cup 2025 was not easy despite being considered favorites from the start. They had to face strong teams with prominent names in their lineups. To reach the final, they overcame challenges from Canada, Croatia, China, and the Czech Republic. The title-deciding matches featured Coco Gauff's swift victory over the Polish player Iga Swiatek (6-4 6-4) and Taylor Fritz's thrilling win against Hubert Hurkacz, who displayed top form after months of uncertainty in his game (6-4 5-7 7-6). With a 2-0 lead, there was no need to go to the doubles match tiebreaker. The team reviewed the tournament in a press conference.

- Fritz explains the key to his match

Taylor faced a tough opponent in Hurkacz, who pushed him to a tiebreak in the third set. Nevertheless, the American managed to prevail: "The key was to try to break him and win as many free points with my serve, which was not at its best, but I could return his second serves well. I wanted him to earn the point if he won it, beating me and not through a quick point."

"Coco played her matches and put us 1-0 ahead, so I thought if I did my job well, we would be done as anything can happen in doubles. Neither of us has played many mixed matches, so I felt some pressure (laughs)."

- One of Gauff's best performances

Coco was named the tournament MVP after defeating Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, Shuai Zhang, Karolina Muchova, and Iga Swiatek without dropping a set: "It has been one of my best performances, especially today against Iga. I have been at a high level. I try to leave behind the pressure and think that the worst that can happen is losing, and then I go back to work to try to do better next time."

"When I won the US Open in 2023, I didn't feel completely well in that final, so it gives me confidence to see that when I do feel good, I should win, because that day I achieved victory despite not being at 100%."

- Looking ahead to the Australian Open

Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff have high aspirations for the 2025 Australian Open and have used this tournament to prepare. When asked to rate their current game, Fritz sees his serving at a level of "9 or 9.5 because I am serving very well", but he admitted that the rest of his game is at a 7: "I can improve a bit; today, for instance, I moved really well, but my ball striking, my returns... there are things I can improve". Coco added: "I rate myself at a 7 or 8, I think I can serve much better; today was decent but I can improve a lot. On the other hand, apart from the serve, I see myself at a 9 or 10, I have been very aggressive and returned well."

- Denis Kudla's retirement

The United Cup marked the end of the road for a veteran of American tennis, Denis Kudla, who proudly concluded his career with a title and was honored with a gift signed by all his teammates: "It's incredible to retire representing my country and with this group. It's very rare to end a career with a victory; not many people can say that. It has been super special; I didn't expect to feel so many emotions or to tear up. I'm very grateful for the opportunity the team has given me to be here and to have left some kind of impact on tennis. I hope to be around the tennis world for a long time."

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